Moonlight Shadow
by Feral
Summary: PG for Language...It's been three years since Jillian last had the guts to pilot her Zoid, Moonlight. Will it take a hotshot named Jace to get her out of the garage and back into Zoid battles? Or will she stay a grease monkey? Please R&R!
1. Prequel

This story is...well...better way to start: There is this song, by Mike Oldfield, called Moonlight Shadow. Basically this story takes the theme of that song and runs wild. Enjoy. This 'prequel' is also songfic, so skip it if ya like when later chapters are added. The song is Moonlight Shadow by Mike Oldfield. Who would have thought? :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. Nifty keen toys, especially the old stuff that no one remembers, the show is grand, but I don't own any of it.

Prequel

The battlefield was light beautifully by the moon and stars that night. The wind had yet to spring up in this area since dawn, as though waiting for the final teams to arrive. Large cliffs lined either side of the expanse of sand, but were far enough to create a border to a perfect warzone. Everything seemed prepared for that night – the final race and battle for the Champion Cup. 

"We're gonna make it, Shadow! Yehaw!" she screamed out loud into her radio, throwing her hands up, fist clenched in exuberance. "Victory is only a bound away! Come on, Moonlight, let's beat Dad to the finish line!" Moonlight snarled in agreement and bounded off, racing away.

Two zoids, one appearing as a white wolf, the other a black panther, ran into the night, each vying for front position. Behind, a large ship tracked through the sand, following at a slow pace.

"Take it easy, Jilly, it's always at these points that the worst part comes. Keep your eyes open...even though Yoni said there wasn't another team for miles around, you never know," the pilot of Shadow, the panther zoid, spoke into his radio. He was an older man, once stark-black hair now taking a tint of silver with age. His features were quite rugged, but often creased with a smile. Jareth "Ace" Roberts was a well-known pilot, rumored to be one of the best. He wore a traditional brown suit and let his hair, once cropped short, go unbrushed. A silver chain hung around his neck, a pendant that appeared like a crescent moon attached to the chain. He sat back, chuckling, "Come on, Shadow, you're not going to let the canine be first, are you?"

"Ya, I know Dad," Jillian spoke into her radio, rolling her eyes.

"Keep going you two...the final line should be up there somewhere...you're almost on top of the coordinates," Yoni's voice rang out on the radio from inside the Tanker. She was only slightly younger than Jareth and quite beautiful by any standard, trim for a lady, with long black hair and always a good sense for knowing what beauty truly is, both inside and out. "Your Mom would be proud, Jill," she spoke on a private channel to the other pilot.

Jillian smiled, grateful for the comment. She relaxed slightly, letting her zoid, Moonlight, continue the pace, keeping even with Shadow though they both knew, or at least believed, they could outrun the panther any day. This victory would be for all four of them…Jillian, Dad, Yoni...and Mom.

"If only she were here to see this," she mused out loud.

"I'm sure she's watching, Jill. I doubt she'd want to miss this for anything," Jareth spoke solemnly, voice tinged with sorrow. "Besides, if she was, we wouldn't have these two wonderful zoids to beat the hell out of the other teams, right?" he said jokingly. No matter how serious the situation, he always had some sort of joke to brighten the mood.

Suddenly an alarm rang out in the Tanker. Yoni hit a console and clenched her jaw. Something wasn't right...the team that just entered the vicinity was coming from above, and wasn't registered. "Stow the jab, we've got company. Coming in at 2'o'clock! ...And there's no sign of a judge...I don't like this, Ace," she said, checking the data again.

"Like I said, keep your eyes open. Jillian, keep to the left of me and fall back...I'll take their attention, you get behind. We'll pinch them in," Ace radioed, immediately falling into the line of battle. Behind him, Moonlight suddenly fell back and began a wide circle around.

Two zoids jettisoned from above. One landed in the sand before Shadow, the other fired its thrusters and took off into the sky. However, the craft they came from merely hovered above the battlefield, as if waiting.

"Something's definitely wrong," Ace murmured to himself, loosing the former zeal and adopting a more serious attitude. This didn't feel right, and Jareth usually went with his feelings. But he continued towards the zoid on the ground. Shadow roared forth a challenge and sprang into battle.

A sensor beeped inside Moonlight, signaling that the enemy was approaching. Jillian glanced around and spotted the beam of faint light shooting across the sky towards her. Suddenly a hail of gunfire split across the night, directly for her zoid. They took a hit, bullets ricocheting off the armor, leaving a few dents, but luckily were unable to blast through. Moonlight took off across the expanse of sand like a bat out of hell, using its speed to avoid further attack. Without warning, the gunfire stopped and the enemy zoid launched itself at the running wolf.

Inside the cockpit, Jillian gripped the controls, paying close attention to the sensors. When it seemed like they would be hit, she hit the brakes and the flying zoid streaked past. Moonlight suddenly leaped forward, an unspoken command between the pilot and zoid, landing upon the other. From there...all hell broke loose.

An explosion beneath the wolf zoid sent it hurling, landing with a heavy thud many meters away upon its back. The casting of the former flyer was destroyed, the source of the blast, and in its place was a crocodilian appearing machine. Immediately the machine sprang forward as Moonlight tried to right itself. A fierce close-combat battle began as both zoids clawed and tore at each other.

From the hovering craft above Shadow, two more zoids dropped out and separated to race after the already engaged pilots.

"Who the hell are these guys?!" Jillian half yelled, half snarled, struggling desperately with the controls.

"Jill, get back to the Tanker, immediately!" came her father's urgent and strained voice over the radio. Strained? He was in trouble...Without thinking, Jillian broke away from combat through a miraculous move, shoving the reptilian zoid off. "Sorry Moon...but Dad and Shadow are in trouble...get a move on!" Immediately the zoid ran off, pursued, towards Shadow.

Gunfire rang out again, hitting Moonlight like a ton of bricks, so to speak. Taking the hit hard, the zoid hit the ground and slid with the force of its momentum. Jill was thrust harshly against the body braces inside, her head hitting one violently. But neither pilot nor machine was that easily outdone. Moonlight was upon its paws again and racing away, heedless of the raining fire.

Ahead Jillian could see Shadow, fighting desperately. This was no zoid battle…this was real. And Shadow was loosing. "Yoni! They're tearing us apart!" she yelled into the radio, suddenly afraid that something bad was going to happen. "Get the can-"

Moonlight was suddenly hit and bowled over by the second enemy zoid, thrown backwards.

__

The last that ever she saw him,  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
He passed on worried and warning,  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
Lost in a river that Saturday night,  
Far away on the other side.  
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight  
And she couldn't find how to push through.  


Jillian hit her head again, a bloody gash opening on her forehead, but she paid this no attention. She had to get up, had to get to her father...together they could get out of this. If only she could get past these two..."Come on Moonlight, please..." she begged, closing her eyes. The zoid struggled upwards, only to be hit once more. But it somehow managed to stand and fought back, tearing at whatever machinery it could.

"Damn! Shadow's done for...I'm ejecting...get out of there, now Jill!" Ace's voice rang over the radio once more. Moonlight struggled, slashing at whatever was in reach; everything seemed just a blur to Jillian. But they still fought. Moonlight managed to find grip an vaulted out of the mess of zoids, leaping valiantly to hit the sand and start running for the Tanker.

She could see Shadow, still struggling to survive, and her father had not yet ejected..."Dad!" she yelled and both turned once more towards the fight, tailed by the other two zoids.

__

  
The trees that whisper in the evening,  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving,  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun,  
Far away on the other side.  
He was shot six times by a man on the run  
And she couldn't find how to push through.

Everything suddenly seemed to go in slow motion. Moonlight raced, but seemed to barely moved, the light from the guns flashed in over-exaggerated fashion, and slowly, Shadow began to fall...

Something shot from the top of the falling zoid – Jareth, ejecting finally – and Shadow hit the ground, unmoving. But as Jareth ejected, one of the machines he had struggled against turned towards him...a gun from the zoid flashed..and fired.

Then time snapped back – Jillian was screaming and Moonlight hit the fray in fierce wrath. Jillian clutched the controls, sharing the same fury of her zoid. The night exploded in a spectacular show of wild firepower. Without fully realizing what they were doing, Jillian and Moonlight began to extract a terrible revenge.

But it was only a matter of mere seconds before the other 'team' began to retreat, obviously having finished whatever they had come to do. Or perhaps it was because of some other reason...Whatever the cause, Moonlight pursued until it was impossible._  
_

I stay, I pray  
See you in heaven far away.  
I stay, I pray  
See you in heaven one day.

"Ace, Jill, someone come in! What the hell is going on out there?!" screeched Yoni's frantic voice over the radio system. It was then that Jillian realized that Yoni had been yelling over the radio the whole time; Jill's own screams had drowned the radio out. Jillian merely sat inside the machine, as if in shock, unable to wretch her hands from the controls or tear her gaze from the screen. Shadow wasn't moving…and there was no sign of her father. Finally her head fell forward and tears sprang unbidden.

"Yoni...I'm here...Ace...Dad...is" she managed to say over the radio, trying to get words through her suddenly choked throat. Silence was returned on the radio, but Jillian didn't notice. She lifted her head once more, tear-streaked face suddenly appearing very much unlike the girl she was only minutes before. Her eyes narrowed and she clutched the controls of Moonlight tighter than seemed possible.

__

  
Four a.m. in the morning,  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
I watched your vision forming,  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
Stars move slowly in a silvery night,  
Far away on the other side.  
Will you come to talk to me this night,  
But she couldn't find how to push through.  


"Jillian?" Moonlight howled sorrowfully into the night, reflecting Jillian's own feelings. Their gaze slowly fell upon the downed Shadow. Mixed emotions welled up, too much for Jill to deal with, so she blocked it all and concentrated on the still form of her father's former zoid.

__

  
I stay, I pray  
See you in heaven far away.  
I stay, I pray  
See you in heaven one day.  


"Jillian?" her name rang out cautiously on the radio once more, but still she didn't answer. Solemn, Jillian mere stared, keeping her mind blank, tears flowing silently down her cheeks.

__

  
Far away on the other side.  


"Jillian?!" The voice was more insistent now and could not be ignored.

"What?" Jillian answered finally, voice hard, with a cruel edge to it.

"Get out of there. Now. Bring Moonlight back so we can assess the damage...and hopefully save Shadow. Come on."

"Shadow's repairable and Moonlight has minimal damage. It can wait." Jillian flicked the radio off and finally relaxed in the cockpit of her zoid. Her eyes closed and she leaned back, giving a sighing shudder.

After what seemed like an eternity of quiet, but was, in truth, merely minutes, Jillian finally moved, to switch the radio on. "Yoni...open the hatch...we're coming in. Tell the authorities that Jareth Roberts was killed in action by an unknown team."

__

  
Caught in the middle of a hundred and five.  
The night was heavy and the air was alive,  
But she couldn't find how to push through.  


"I've already done it, Jill. The hatches are open and waiting."

Moonlight stood by Shadow and Jillian left the zoid to attach cables around the downed zoid. There upon the ground, she came across the necklace her father had worn...Her throat constricted, she bent over and picked it up gingerly, holding it in a hand as tears once again flowed. Once the cables were attached, she once again took control of her zoid and they dragged Shadow back to the Tanker.

Once inside, Jillian left the two zoids quietly and entered the control room. There was Yoni, her own features streaked with tears, her makeup following the same path. She looked towards Jillian, eyes closing briefly.

"The league wishes to congratulate you on finding the finish line. You're league Champion now."

Jillian nodded and turned away. The news wasn't as harsh or uncaring as it sounded...it was simply the way things were, and the way Jillian would rather they be, than to be alone with the acceptance he was gone. She strode silently from the room, disappearing down a hall.

__

  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.  
Far away on the other side.  
  



	2. Welcome to the Garage

Disclaimer: Don't own Zoids, yada yada yada.

Note: This is 3 years after the Prequel, incase you don't pick up on it.

Welcome to the Garage

The garage was rather large, as befitted a zoids repair area. The sight that often greeted those that looked in was stark gray walls with numerous oddities of zoid repair hanging anywhere and every were. The smell that often greeted visitors wasn't pleasing to the ordinary person, but was the preferred cologne of any true pilot – oil, energy, and sweat. There were several zoids in the bay, obviously under numerous stages of repair. An radio blared out some old rock band from ages ago and from somewhere in the garage came the sounds of someone busy at work.

"Hey...uh...can I ask you one thing, just real quick?"

The sound of a wrench being dropped to the pavement from a high spot resounded through the garage, followed by a rather un-feminine voice from the femme beneath the zoid, "Dammit...Fuckin'sonovabitchin'bastard piece of shit!" What commenced could not be seen, but a string of noises that sounded suspiciously like banging on various metal components came from underneath a large Zoid.

"Look, Richard, you banged this piece of crap up good," Jillian appeared from the bottom of the Zoid, lying on her back on a cart, wiping her hands on a cloth. "It's not going to be ready for another fi-...you're not Richard," she stated when her eyes fell upon the speaker. She pushed herself up and stood, glancing around before her eyes fell upon the stranger once again. He was a few inches taller than she was, a bit gangly yet muscular, probably no older than herself. His hair was dirty blond in color and reached a length of about mid-back. He wore a dirty blue shirt, faded blue jeans, and an earring in his left ear that looked faintly like a crescent moon. "What can I do you for?"

"Do me for?" he asked, brows knitting before a crooked smile formed on his ruggedly handsome features. "Well, if you put it that way...I wouldn't mind a cold beer and a massage..."

Jillian flipped the oily cloth she held over her shoulder, a brow raised, a look on her face that seemed to say exactly what she replied, "Just push your luck bub and you'll find yourself outside on your ass." She added a sarcastic wink for effect and turned to leave.

"No, wait...It was just a joke...come on," the stranger said, running after her, the grin still plastered to his features, amazed that he got away only with a harsh phrase. "Really, I was just wondering if there might be the chance I could get a job here...I used to be a mechanic, I can handle zoids pretty good. You guys look like you could use some help, after all. Take a break, that sort of thing..."

Jillian stopped and half turned, "Looks like we could use some help?" The tone in her voice was a bit dangerous, a bit mocking, but also had a tinge of mirth. She glanced around before her eyes fell upon the zoid she was working on earlier. "Fix that in four hours...and we'll talk."

"Four hours? No problem...what's wrong with it?"

Jillian merely smirked, "Fix it. Or get out of my garage." With that, she turned and took off for the office. Once inside, she closed the door behind and began to go over the few files inside.

"You didn't have to be that mean," Yoni said, looking through the windows at the stranger. "Did you even get his name?"

"I'm not in the best of moods, he caught the brunt of it, that's all. And no, I didn't get his name. Chances are he's not even going to be close to done in four hours, so it doesn't matter, does it?" Jillian replied, running a hand through her hair.

Yoni shook her head, "Jillian, you know we need help. It's just you and me, what with Thompson having quit because of someone's attitude problem," Yoni said, emphasizing the last part. She turned to face Jillian, sipping the cup of coffee she held in an hand. Jillian had grown quite a bit in the last three years since the incident. She had become a flourishing young lady, though she hardly seemed to care about that fact. She was very trim, possessing quite an athletic body as befitted a Zoid Pilot, but had developed more feminine attributes nicely. Her long hair, a copperish blond in color, hung loosely about her, more of a wild 'mane' than actual hair. At present, she wore a dirty white muscle shirt and equally dirty faded blue jeans, her work clothes, and looked quite pleasing in them. If only she'd wear a dress once in awhile, maybe even a bit of makeup, no doubt she would turn heads immediately. Yoni sighed and crossed her arms before leaning against the desk. Jillian had changed so much from the girl she once knew. But she could hardly blame her...they both had changed.

"You know, there's more to life than Zoids and insulting every everyone that comes around, Jill."

"Oh really?" Jillian asked in mocking interest – she had heard this often enough. Yoni was almost like a second mother to her, the only person in this world she had left. And while her tone was still rough, it definitely had less of the tone than with anyone else. 

Yoni chuckled, "Fine...never mind. We both now how this ends...you saying you'd rather rot in hell than play 'that game' and giving me a kiss on the cheek before walking out to work again. You really should think about trying on a dress at some point though." Yoni turned around to look out the windows, lazily drinking her coffee, "Hmm. Seems like our young gentleman is hard at work beneath Richard's zoid..."

"Gentleman would imply manners, Yoni." 

* * *

Four hours later found Jillian accepting payment from the second to last of the customers of the day and the stranger still beneath the zoid. "Thanks, Charlie, always a pleasure doing business with ya...the tips are real nice," she said chuckling, waving off him off. Her eyes strayed over to the zoid...didn't seem like he was done yet. What a terrible shame. As if on cue, Richard appeared through the doors, wearing his usual self-absorbed smile. He was the son of a powerful Zoid builder and therefore quite rich...and rather arrogant. He had short brown hair with overly long bangs that he was often fond of sweeping back with a hand and often wore something flashy as he thought befitted his rank.

"So, is it ready yet?"

"Ask me again and I'll make sure it takes another three days, darlin'," Jillian replied, rolling her eyes. "Follow me."

Richard fell in line with Jillian and strolled leisurely alongside her. He'd learned long ago to not try the moves on Jillian that he so often used on other females. "Why do you bother working here, Jillian? When you could come back home with me, work with only the best zoids, equipment, mechanics, and get what you truly deserve?"

"A constant headache and the need for drunken stupor?" Jillian asked. "I've already got that here, thanks." She brought her fingers to her lips and whistled to grab the stranger's attention, "You done yet?"

The stranger shoved himself from beneath the zoid, wiping his hands on a cloth. He appeared decidedly satisfied and grinned confidently. "All finished. Actually, I was done about half an hour ago, but I decided to go back in and make sure it wouldn't come apart again for sure this time. Man...how many times have you torn that thing apart?" he said, looking towards Richard, who he took to be the owner.

Jillian blinked, a bit surprised, to say the least, "Uh...well...there you are Richard, it's done. Now get out of here so I can close and get some rest." She crossed her arms nonchalantly. "Same fee as always...I seriously don't see how you can keep smashing it like you do."

Richard glanced between the stranger and Jillian before counting out the fee, "And a bit extra...just because I always know you do such a great job, Jillian."

Jill accepted the money, "I didn't fix this time. He did," she said, nodding towards the stranger. "But thanks for the tip all the same. Bye."

Obviously not what Richard expected, it took him a moment to recover. With a half chuckle he swung himself into the cockpit of his Zoid, "The offer is still open if you ever feel like reconsidering it, Jillian. Just keep me in mind...you know I keep you in mine." He smirked arrogantly and closed the hatch. With that, the zoid came to 'life' and departed the bay.

"Your ex boyfriend or something?" the stranger commented.

Jillian turned to study the stranger a bit more carefully this time, "Just a regular customer who learned the hard way that I'm no lady." She counted out a portion of the fee and held it out, "Your part, for the work you did today."

"Thanks...about the job, now?" he asked, brows raising expectantly as he took the money.

"What's your name?" 

"Jason…but everyone calls me Jace."

"Well, Jason, you've got yourself a job, as we agreed. But loose the earring. You come in at 7 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m., understand? You can use any tools and resources here in the garage, but don't even think about going into the back. Not that you can get there...it's locked."

"Sounds fine to me...what's in the back room anyway?"

"The bodies of my ex lovers. Now get outta here before I feel like throwing something at you. 7 a.m., remember," Jillian said, a crooked half grin on her face.


End file.
